''Ka-Zar'' was an American

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

that published three issues in 1936 and 1937. Each issue had a lead novel, featuring Ka-Zar, a character modelled after

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

. Ka-Zar had been born David Rand, orphaned in the Congo when a plane crash killed his parents, John and Constance. David was raised by a lion named Zar, and can speak to animals. The novels, written by Bob Byrd, are described by pulp historian Robert Weinberg as "all clearly derivative... howingno originality in either content or form". The first, "King of Fang and Claw", tells the story of the plane crash, and Ka-Zar's revenge on the men who caused it. The other two novels are titled "Roar of the Jungle" and "The Lost Empire". The novels were supplemented by short stories, all of which were jungle adventures. Contributors included Rex Allen and Norman Daniels.Weinberg (1985), pp. 368–369.

Bibliographic details

''Ka-Zar'' was published by Manvis Publishing of New York, and edited by Martin Goodman. All issues were in pulp format and priced at 10 cents; the first two issues were 128 pages and the last issue was 112 pages. It began as a quarterly, with issues dated October 1936 and January 1937, but the final issue was delayed until June 1937. The final issue was retitled ''Ka-Zar the Great''. The lead novel appeared in book form in the UK as ''King of Fang and Claw'' in 1937, published by Brown & Watson. The first issue was reprinted in facsimile format with an article replacing the editorial matter in 1976 by Odyssey Publications.

References

Sources

* {{cite book, last=Weinberg, first=Robert, title=Science Fiction, Fantasy and Weird Fiction Magazines, publisher=Greenwood Press, year=1985, isbn=0-3132-1221-X, editor-last=Tymn, editor-first=Marshall B., location=Westport, Connecticut, pages=368–369, chapter=Ka-Zar, ref=none, editor-last2=Ashley, editor-first2=Mike 1936 establishments in New York (state) 1937 disestablishments in New York (state) Magazines established in 1936 Magazines disestablished in 1937 Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines published in New York (state) Pulp magazines